Meltdown in Miami: Clemson crumbles, drops ACC road game to Hurricanes

Same turnovers. Same mistakes. Same result: a gut-wrenching Clemson football loss that puts the Tigers’ 2023 season in further crisis mode.

Miami running back Ajay Allen scored the go-ahead touchdown and two-point conversion and the Hurricanes stopped the Tigers on the ensuing possession to stun Clemson, 28-20, in double overtime Saturday night at Hard Rock Stadium.

The Tigers led 17-7 entering the fourth quarter but surrendered 10 unanswered points in that period, with the offense (led by highly touted coordinator Garrett Riley) twice going three and out and offering little support to the defense.

After Allen’s touchdown run and two-point run (which Miami got a second try at, at a shorter distance, thanks to a Clemson horse-collar penalty) in double OT, Clemson turned it over on downs, failing to convert a 4th-and-1 from the 1-yard line on Cade Klubnik quarterback run that lost 8 yards. Miami fans rushed the field postgame.

The struggling Tigers fall to 4-3 and 2-3 in the ACC, marking the second time in three seasons they’ve hit three losses after losing no more than two games in a season from 2015-20. They’ve also lost nine games since the start of the 2021 season after losing only seven from 2015-20, a run that included two national titles.

Clearly, it’s a new era for one of the sport’s 21st-century blue bloods.

Miami, coached by Mario Cristobal, scored its first win against Clemson in 13 years and moved to 5-2 and 1-2 in the ACC. The Hurricanes had dropped four straight games against the Tigers dating back to 2015.

But they pulled it off Saturday despite closing as a 7-point home underdog ... and trailing by two scores entering the fourth quarter ... and giving a true freshman quarterback his first career start after their starter couldn’t go ... and going conservative late to play for OT instead of taking a game-winning shot.

For Clemson, it’s a reversion to old turnover habits after the team had won two straight conference games following a 2-2 start. And coach Dabo Swinney is still seeking his 166th win, which would move him past a tie with Frank Howard for the most coaching wins in Clemson program history.

“We’re 4-3 and that’s exactly what we deserve,” Swinney said. “This team has been in position to win every single game we’ve played. I don’t have an answer. ... We’ve got to figure out a way to win. It starts with taking care of the ball.

“It’s just one of those years where we can’t seem to get out of our own way.”

Game recap

Clemson was hoping an off week of recovery and rejuvenation would provide a late-season boost — especially when it came to the small, technical things.

That couldn’t have been further from the truth in the first quarter, as star running back Will Shipley lost a fumble at Miami’s 1-yard line to kill a scoring drive and the Hurricanes scored on the very next play on a long touchdown run.

Shipley’s fumble came on a nifty direct-snap play on third and 2 from Miami’s 2-yard line and ended a promising early drive; the ensuing 80-yard run by Brashard Smith was the longest Clemson had surrendered in a game since 2009 against Georgia Tech.

Smith fumbled, too, thanks to an excellent chase-down effort from Clemson cornerback Nate Wiggins, but teammate Jacolby George recovered the ball in the end zone for a 7-0 Miami lead.

Shipley’s fumble tied Clemson with Troy for the most fumbles lost among all 133 FBS schools — nine — and a later fumble by Klubnik at Miami’s 28-yard line made Clemson the standalone leader with 10 fumbles lost in just over six games.

Clemson went down 3-0 in the turnover margin on a second-quarter Klubnik interception – which snapped a streak of 150-plus attempts without an pick – and was generally inefficient on offense in the first half outside of one excellent touchdown pass from Klubnik.

The Tigers’ sophomore quarterback stepped up in the pocket and dropped a dime to tight end Jake Briningstool from 32 yards out with 8:09 remaining in the second quarter. That tied the sloppy conference game at 7-7, a result that surprisingly held through halftime.

Miami, which was playing without starting quarterback Tyler Van Dyke for a second straight game against Clemson due to injury, thought it had a safety when the Hurricanes sacked Klubnik right near the end zone with less than a minute remaining in the first half.

But referees called Klubnik down at the 1-yard line on the field and upheld that call on review, helping the Tigers dodge a bullet right before the break. Clemson had gotten backed up after an interception of Miami true freshman QB Emory Williams put them deep in their own territory.

Up-and-down kicker Jonathan Weitz put Clemson up 10-7 in the third quarter with a 41-yard field goal at Hard Rock Stadium, his longest make of the season by 3 yards.

But even that simple play took some danger to pull off, as Klubnik had fumbled the ball on the previous play on a strip sack and Shipley had to grab the ball to keep the possession alive.

The Tigers evened out from there with their best stint of complementary football all evening. First, safety Andrew Mukuba Sr. sniffed out a play-action pass and tackled a Canes receiver a yard short of a first down of 4th-and-2 at midfield. (Miami had already converted one fourth down on the drive.)

Then, Briningstool ripped off a 50-yard catch and run and caught his second contested touchdown of the night from Klubnik — a 19-yard beauty in the back left corner of the end zone. Referees initially ruled the play as an incomplete pass but upon review determined Briningstool had gotten a foot down with possession.

Clemson led 17-7 entering the fourth quarter and had momentum, but Miami cut into that lead with a clinical drive lasting 15 plays and 9-plus minutes. Williams, the true freshman quarterback starting his first career game, hit receiver Colbie Young down the left sideline for an 11-yard fade route touchdown.

Clemson went three-and-out on its next drive and gave the ball right back to Miami. The Hurricanes just missed on a huge play when Wiggins broke up a pass intended for Young (who beat him and was open about 40 yards downfield) with about 6 minutes remaining.

Young had another big play on the drive (a 25-yard catch) but Wiggins broke up another pass on third down to force a field goal, which Miami kicker Andres Borregales nailed from 38 yards out to tie the game at 17-17 with 1:51 remaining.

After another Clemson nothing-burger of a drive, Miami got the ball back with 1:26 remaining but, with only one time and an inexperienced quarterback, played for overtime and let the clock run out after its possession stalled.

The teams traded short field goals on their opening overtime possessions before Miami’s touchdown and two-point conversion and ensuing stop on Clemson’s following possession secured a night to remember in South Beach.

Next Clemson game

Who: Clemson (4-3, 2-3 ACC) at N.C. State (4-3, 1-2 ACC)

When: 2 p.m. Saturday

Where: Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh

TV: The CW